About

$25,745

pledged of $25,000 goal

163

backers

GREAT NEWS.... THE PROJECT IS GOING TO BE FUNDED!!!!! We are so grateful to everyone who has ensured that the project will be a success! Since we still have time left in our campaign, we have set A NEW GOAL OF $28,000. Every single dollar of funding that we receive will help us make this film bigger and better!!!

Now that we have reached our goal, ANY PLEDGE AMOUNT GUARANTEES YOU WILL RECEIVE THAT AWARD!!! Thank you all so much. We are grateful beyond words for all of your support.

With just a few hours left we are announcing some great new rewards donated by SLIM THE HAMMERMAN HIMSELF!!! New gifts include a copy of the out of print book The Spiritual Journey of Joseph L. Greenstein: The Mighty Atom signed by Slim, framed and signed pictures of Slim and The Mighty Atom, and vials of the Mighty Atoms hair, the strongest hair in the world! Whoa!!!

WHAT IF I'VE ALREADY PLEDGED AND WANT TO GET THE TSHIRT OR TICKETS TO THE PRIVATE SCREENING/AFTER PARTY?

THESE ARE NOT SOLD OUT!!!! Take a look below, find how much you've pledged, and just update your pledge by adding the discounted amount! You don't have to do anything else, we will notice your updated pledge and process the gift.YOU DON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT CHANGING YOUR REWARD SELECTION. We want to thank you guys and make sure you don't miss out on anything!

T-SHIRTS:

IF YOU'VE ALREADY PLEDGED:

$20 OR MORE: add $20 to your pledge

$100 OR MORE: add $10 to your pledge

$200 OR MORE: don't do anything, we are giving you this shirt as a big huge thanks!

TICKETS TO THE SCREENING AND AFTERPARTY:

IF YOU'VE ALREADY PLEDGED:

$20 OR MORE: add $40/ticket to your pledge

$60 OR MORE: add $30/ticket to your pledge

$100 OR MORE: add $25/ticket to your pledge

$500 OR MORE: add $10/ticket to your pledge

WHEW. Hope that's not too confusing, it took a long time to type. As always, if you have any questions or comments for us please send us a message!

WE'RE HAVING A PRIVATE THEATER SCREENING AND AFTER PARTY!!!

We will be doing a private screening in NYC when the film is complete, before it is seen anywhere else. After the screening we're going to have a party. A big, fun, party. We'll be there, the one and only Adam the First Real Man will MC the event, and Chris Schoeck and Chris Rider will perform... it's going to be a BLAST. Check out the sidebar to the right for ticket packages starting with just a $50 pledge!

AND INTRODUCING OUR BRAND NEW T-SHIRT, FOR JUST A $30 PLEDGE!!!

Our friend Jason Hogg who designed our beautiful Strongman Spectacular posters just got the brand new t-shirt and sticker designs to us. The shirts will be white print on a black t-shirt, and will be available in all sizes. Once the pledges are processed you'll be able to tell us what size you'd like. Absolutely awesome.

WHAT IF I'VE ALREADY PLEDGED AND WANT TO GET THE TSHIRT OR TICKETS TO THE PRIVATE SCREENING/AFTER PARTY?

Take a look below, find how much you've pledged, and just update your pledge by adding the discounted amount! You don't have to do anything else, we will notice your updated pledge and process the gift. We want to thank you guys and make sure you don't miss out on anything!

T-SHIRTS:

IF YOU'VE ALREADY PLEDGED:

$20 OR MORE: add $20 to your pledge

$100 OR MORE: add $10 to your pledge

$200 OR MORE: don't do anything, we are giving you this shirt as a big huge thanks!

TICKETS TO THE SCREENING AND AFTERPARTY:

IF YOU'VE ALREADY PLEDGED:

$20 OR MORE: add $40/ticket to your pledge

$60 OR MORE: add $30/ticket to your pledge

$100 OR MORE: add $25/ticket to your pledge

$500 OR MORE: add $10/ticket to your pledge

WHEW. Hope that's not too confusing, it took a long time to type. As always, if you have any questions or comments for us please send us a message!

ABOUT THE FILM:

Bending Steel is a feature length documentary produced by Dave Carroll and Ryan Scafuro of Sixkiller NYC, which follows Chris
Schoeck, a Queens, New York native who is training to become a professional olde-time
strongman. What is an olde-time strongman you ask? Well, in the late 1800's and early 1900's these performers wowed audiences across
the country with amazing feats of strength such as breaking horseshoes with their bare hands,
holding back planes from taking off with their hair (yes, seriously), and biting nails in half . Every major city had a strongman or three to entertain the masses, but their time was fleeting. As the vaudeville era faded, so did the strongmen. Now, in 2011, there exists a
small community of men who are dedicated to keeping this rare art form
alive. With help from his trainer Chris Rider, who is one of the strongest men in the world, Chris Schoeck attempts to initiate himself in to the strongman community and find his place amongst the legends.

We first met the unlikely pair in January of 2011. The two
men expressed their desire to put on a historic show on New York City's famous
Coney Island, where strongmen such as the Mighty Atom once performed
nearly a century ago.

Here's the catch:

Schoeck has never performed in public. Ever.

We follow him as he struggles through training to surpass self imposed limitations and excel in to the unknown heights of mental and physical strength. We witness intimate moments as he battles his own fears and insecurities that he believes have held him back since childhood. He claims to have never felt the need for human interaction. He claims to have never felt the need for social acceptance. These become revelations that will shape his future.

Through this journey we have met some amazing and unique
characters, all of which make this an endearing, humorous, and inspiring
story. This is the story of Chris
Schoeck, a man attempting to find his place in the world through the unique
activity of bending steel. It is
the story of the strongman community, a group of men dedicated to keeping a
lost art alive. It is the story
of the search for fulfillment, which always seems just out of reach...

WHAT WE'VE DONE SO FAR:

In September of this year we finished principal photography. The images look beautiful and the story that we have captured in the past 10 months is truly remarkable. This experience has been
personally inspirational for both of us, and we hope to be able to share this experience with our audience, and with you.

We are currently working with John Hoyt, an editor based out
of L.A. who is in the process of going through the hundreds of hours of footage
that we have shot and is starting to build rough scenes. Fernando Martinez is a composer from
Brooklyn (who wrote and recorded the track in the above video) who we will be
working with to create an original score for the film. In addition we have
already procured legal counsel to make sure that this film will have all of the
rights and protections necessary to moving forward. We have a great product: a professionally produced and
directed feature length documentary film with amazing potential. We could
not be more excited!

WHAT WE STILL NEED TO DO (WHY WE NEED YOUR HELP):

To this point we have been able to COMPLETELY fund this film
on our own. That includes
equipment, travel and of course our own time (LOTS of it!). All of this has come out of our own
pockets. (Just the two of us!) 10 years ago, being able to create a professional feature length
documentary on such a budget would have never been possible.

What makes kickstarter so exciting is now we can also fund
the post production and marketing process without backing from major
investors or big corporations!
This means Bending Steel can be completed while remaining a true
independent film. We will
literally be bringing the film to theaters and audiences around the world with
YOUR help.

But this is how Kickstarter works: unless we reach our fundraising goal of $25,000, the project will not be funded AT ALL. So we need to make sure we reach the goal in time. If the goal is not met, your donation will not be processed, the gifts will go back into boxes, and the the film will suffer greatly. Of course any amount raised over $25,000 will be used for the film as well (our actual budget is close to $40,000, but we wanted to set a reasonable goal). There are a lot of expensive services involved in post production.

Errors
and Omissions Insurance (standard insurance needed to protect every film
seeking distribution)

Branding
and Graphic Design (We are filmmakers.
We can’t draw.)

A
professional Website (see above)

Promotion
and Marketing Materials (We need to spread the word about Bending Steel)

These are all services and skills that are beyond our means,
and we want to have them done professionally to make sure that Bending Steel
reaches it’s potential.

HOW TO SPREAD THE WORD:

Please and thank you! Tell all of your family and friends. Bending Steel is going to be awesome. You always want to tell people about
new and exciting things, right?
This is where we could REALLY use your help. Financial backing is important…. but active promotion and
support from family and friends and people who believe in us is what is going
to make this film a reality. Thank
you so much!

Click on the "like" button under the video above! You can also click the embed button up there to get a nifty kickstarter video or widget code for your blog or website. That would be super nice of you.

WHAT YOUR PLEDGE GETS YOU:

Here are some photos of a few of the rewards... if you have any questions feel free to ask!

THE CONEY ISLAND STRONGMAN SPECTACULAR POSTER! ($100 pledge)

This limited edition of 80, silk screened 19"x30" poster was designed by Jason Forest Hogg and was used to promote the Strongman Spectacular event as seen in the film. It is a gorgeous black and gold two color print on heavy paper stock.

HORSESHOE BENT INTO A HEART, SIGNED AND NUMBERED BY CHRIS SCHOECK! ($200 PLEDGE)

Have a sweetheart? Trying to land one? This horseshoe hand bent into a heart by Chris Schoeck is probably not the way to go about it, but you know you want one anyway. Signed and numbered limited edition of 20.

THE CONEY ISLAND STRONGMAN SPECTACULAR POSTER **SIGNED BY ALL PERFORMERS INCLUDING THE LIVING LEGEND SLIM THE HAMMERMAN! ($250 pledge)

That's right, here's your chance to get a piece of history. This is the same poster featured above, but SIGNED BY EVERY PERFORMER AT THE SHOW, including Slim "The Hammerman" Farman who was the protege of the famous Mighty Atom! (Signatures: Chris Schoeck, Chris Rider, Stanless Steel, Steve "The Crusher" Weiner, Sonny Barry, Tommy Heslep, Gary "The Brickman" Brown, and Adam The First Real Man). There are only 30 of these, so move quick!

VIDEO CHAT WITH FILMMAKERS AND CHRIS SCHOECK, WHERE CHRIS WILL PERFORM YOUR CHOICE OF ONE OF 4 FEATS OF STRENGTH LIVE, AND YOU BE MAILED THE SIGNED ITEM! ($500 PLEDGE)

I am pretty sure Chris has never done a video chat before, so this will be fun. Join the filmmakers and Chris in a video chat, ask us questions about the film, and watch as Chris performs your choice of one of 4 feats of strength live! You will then be mailed the item, signed by Chris himself! (Items featured below.)

Now this is a truly unique gift. These one of a kind works of art double as a wine bottle holder. The 1/4" thick by 1" wide structural steel bar was hand bent by strongman Chris Rider into his signature pattern entitled "Calm." Mounted on an oak plaque with a black and gold descriptive tag reading "Hand Bent Steel Sculpture by One of the World's Strongest Men Chris Rider." These are amazing.

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $20 or more
About $20

PREMIER LINK TO THE FIRST 5 MINUTES OF THE FILM AS SOON AS IT IS FINISHED (BE THE FIRST TO ACCESS THIS SNEAK PEEK THE VERY SAME DAY WE COMPLETE THE FILM) plus a bending steel sticker and exclusive donor updates and a special thank you on the film's website and facebook page!

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $20 or more
About $20

A VIAL OF THE MIGHTY ATOMS HAIR!!!! Is this reward weird? Hell yes it is. But the Mighty Atom was known for bending steel and breaking chains with his hair, and now you can own a vial of his actual locks, straight from Slim The Hammerman's collection of Atom memorabilia!!! plus a bending steel sticker and exclusive donor updates and a special thank you on the film's website and facebook page!

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $50 or more
About $50

ONE TICKET TO A PRIVATE THEATRICAL SCREENING AND AFTER PARTY! YOU WILL GET TO SEE THE VERY FIRST BIG SCREEN SHOWING OF BENDING STEEL, PRESENTED BY THE FILMMAKERS, AND ADMISSION TO AN AFTER PARTY WITH PERFORMANCES BY CHRIS SCHOECK AND CHRIS RIDER! plus a digital HD download of the film upon completion, a Bending Steel sticker, exclusive donor updates and a special thank you on the film's website and facebook page! (SCREENING WILL BE IN NYC, if selecting this reward please plan travel accordingly)

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $75 or more
About $75

A PAIR OF TICKETS TO A PRIVATE THEATRICAL SCREENING AND AFTER PARTY! YOU WILL GET TO SEE THE VERY FIRST BIG SCREEN SHOWING OF BENDING STEEL, PRESENTED BY THE FILMMAKERS, AND ADMISSION TO AN AFTER PARTY WITH PERFORMANCES BY CHRIS SCHOECK AND CHRIS RIDER! plus a digital HD download of the film upon completion, a Bending Steel sticker, exclusive donor updates and a special thank you on the film's website and facebook page! (SCREENING WILL BE IN NYC, if selecting this reward please plan travel accordingly)

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $75 or more
About $75

FRAMED AND AUTOGRAPHED PHOTO OF SLIM THE HAMMERMAN 8.5"X10.5": SLIM LEVERAGE LIFTING 54.5 LB HAMMERS plus a digital HD download of the film upon completion, a Bending Steel sticker, exclusive donor updates and a special thank you on the film's website and facebook page!

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $100 or more
About $100

A NUMBERED, LIMITED EDITION OF 80, 19"x30" SILK SCREENED POSTER FROM THE FIRST ANNUAL CONEY ISLAND STRONGMAN SPECTACULAR (as featured in the film) plus a digital HD download of the film upon completion, a Bending Steel sticker, exclusive donor updates and a special thank you on the film's website and facebook page! (Donors outside of the US please add $10 for shipping)

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $100 or more
About $100

FRAMED PICTURE OF THE MIGHTY ATOM 6"X8": A 1929 ADVERTISEMENT FOR "ATOMS FAMOUS SOAP" - NO LYE OR ANIMAL FATS - SIGNED "ATOM'S FRIEND SLIM" AND A VIAL OF THE MIGHTY ATOMS HAIR plus a digital HD download of the film upon completion, a Bending Steel sticker, exclusive donor updates and a special thank you on the film's website and facebook page!

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $125 or more
About $125

ONE TICKET TO A PRIVATE THEATRICAL SCREENING AND AFTER PARTY, PLUS THE STRONGMAN SPECTACULAR POSTER! You will get to see the very first big screen showing of Bending Steel, presented by the filmmakers, and admission to an after party with performances by Chris Schoeck and Chris Rider! plus a digital HD download of the film upon completion, a Bending Steel sticker, exclusive donor updates and a special thank you on the film's website and facebook page! (SCREENING WILL BE IN NYC, if selecting this reward please plan travel accordingly)

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $150 or more
About $150

A PAIR OF TICKETS TO A PRIVATE THEATRICAL SCREENING AND AFTER PARTY, PLUS THE STRONGMAN SPECTACULAR POSTER! You will get to see the very first big screen showing of Bending Steel, presented by the filmmakers, and admission to an after party with performances by Chris Schoeck and Chris Rider! plus a digital HD download of the film upon completion, a Bending Steel sticker, exclusive donor updates and a special thank you on the film's website and facebook page! (SCREENING WILL BE IN NYC, if selecting this reward please plan travel accordingly)

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $200 or more
About $200

A SIGNED AND NUMBERED HORSESHOE HAND BENT INTO A HEART BY CHRIS SCHOECK HIMSELF and "DONOR" CREDITS IN THE FILM plus a digital HD download of the film upon completion, a Bending Steel sticker, exclusive donor updates and a special thank you on the film's website and facebook page! (Donors outside of the US please add $10 for shipping)

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $250 or more
About $250

A NUMBERED, LIMITED EDITION OF 80, 19"x30" SILK SCREENED POSTER FROM THE FIRST ANNUAL CONEY ISLAND STRONGMAN SPECTACULAR (as featured in the film) **SIGNED BY EVERY PERFORMER INCLUDING THE LEGENDARY SLIM THE HAMMERMAN** plus "donor" credits in the film, a digital HD download of the film upon completion, a Bending Steel sticker, exclusive donor updates and a special thank you on the film's website and facebook page! (Donors outside of the US please add $10 for shipping)

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $300 or more
About $300

BRAND NEW COPY OF THE OUT OF PRINT BOOK, "SPIRITUAL JOURNEY OF JOSEPH L. GREENSTEIN: THE MIGHTY ATOM (PAPERBACK) SIGNED BY SLIM THE HAMMERMAN! plus an official bending steel tshirt, a digital HD download of the film upon completion, a Bending Steel sticker, exclusive donor updates and a special thank you on the film's website and facebook page!

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $500 or more
About $500

A VIDEO CHAT WITH THE FILMMAKERS AND CHRIS SCHOECK, WHERE CHRIS WILL PERFORM YOUR CHOICE OF ONE OF 4 FEATS OF STRENGTH LIVE, AND YOU WILL RECEIVE THE ITEM SIGNED BY CHRIS HIMSELF plus "donor" credits in the film, a digital HD download of the film upon completion, a Bending Steel sticker, exclusive donor updates and a special thank you on the film's website and facebook page!

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $1,000 or more
About $1,000

A CHANCE TO MEET WITH THE FILMMAKERS AND CHRIS SCHOECK IN PERSON, WHERE CHRIS WILL PERFORM 4 FEATS OF STRENGTH, AND YOU WILL RECEIVE THE ITEMS SIGNED BY CHRIS HIMSELF (NYC area only) and "HONORARY DONOR" CREDITS IN THE FILM plus a digital HD download of the film upon completion, a Bending Steel sticker, exclusive donor updates and a special thank you on the film's website and facebook page!

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $2,000 or more
About $2,000

*THE STRONGMAN EXPERIENCE!!!!*
A FULL DAY (8 hours or more!) OF STRENGTH TRAINING BY BOTH THE LIVING LEGEND SLIM THE HAMMERMAN, AND HIS PROTEGE, THE WORLD FAMOUS DENNIS ROGERS, IN SLIM'S LEGENDARY "DUNGEON" IN EASTERN PENNSYLVANIA!!!!! THIS IS A ONE OF A KIND EXPERIENCE AND WE'RE ONLY OFFERING IT TO ONE LUCKY DONOR!!! Included: instruction from both Slim and Dennis (alone worth $5,000) strongman stories (hear about the Mighty Atom from Slim himself!!!!), and a personal, private tour of Slim's extensive strongman collection and library.

Your choice of any SATURDAY between January 1 and March 31, 2012. Transportation to Slim's Dungeon not provided.

I cannot tell you how excited we are to be able to offer this gift to our fans and what it means to us.

In addition, you will receive "HONORARY DONOR" CREDITS IN THE FILM, THE STRONGMAN SPECTACULAR POSTER SIGNED BY ALL PERFORMERS, TWO TICKETS TO THE PRIVATE SCREENING AND AFTERPARTY, AN OFFICIAL BENDING STEEL T-SHIRT, AN HD DIGITAL DOWNLOAD OF THE FILM, A PACK OF BENDING STEEL STICKERS, exclusive donor updates and a special thank you on the film's website and facebook page!

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $2,500 or more
About $2,500

A PRIVATE SCREENING/GUEST LECTURE BY THE FILMMAKERS AT YOUR SCHOOL, COMPANY OR PRIVATE EVENT (transportation not included) and 5 DVD "SCREENER" COPIES OF THE FILM plus "honorary donor" credits in the film, a digital HD download of the film upon completion, a pack of 25 Bending Steel stickers, exclusive donor updates and a special thank you on the film's website and facebook page!

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $5,000 or more
About $5,000

A PRIVATE STRONGMAN PERFORMANCE FEATURING CHRIS RIDER AND CHRIS SCHOECK AT YOUR SCHOOL, COMPANY OR PRIVATE EVENT, (transportation not included) WITH ALL BENT ITEMS DONATED AND SIGNED BY THE PERFORMERS and A PAIR OF VIP TICKETS TO A PRIVATE THEATRICAL SCREENING AND AFTER PARTY, AND A MEETING WITH THE FILMMAKERS WHERE WE WILL PRESENT YOU WITH A VERY SPECIAL STRONGMAN VIP GIFT BAG! YOU WILL GET TO SEE THE VERY FIRST BIG SCREEN SHOWING OF BENDING STEEL, PRESENTED BY THE FILMMAKERS, AND ADMISSION TO AN AFTER PARTY WITH PERFORMANCES BY CHRIS SCHOECK AND CHRIS RIDER! plus 5 DVD "screener" copies of the film, "honorary donor" credits in the film, a digital HD download of the film upon completion, a pack of 25 Bending Steel stickers, exclusive donor updates and a special thank you on the film's website and facebook page!

Kickstarter is not a store.

Pledge $10,000
About $10,000

"EXECUTIVE PRODUCER" CREDITS IN THE FILM and A 60 SECOND COMMERCIAL/VIDEO FOR YOURSELF, SCHOOL OR BUSINESS THAT IS DIRECTED, SHOT, AND EDITED BY THE FILMMAKERS THEMSELVES and A PAIR OF VIP TICKETS TO A PRIVATE THEATRICAL SCREENING AND AFTER PARTY, AND A MEETING WITH THE FILMMAKERS WHERE WE WILL PRESENT YOU WITH A VERY SPECIAL STRONGMAN VIP GIFT BAG! YOU WILL GET TO SEE THE VERY FIRST BIG SCREEN SHOWING OF BENDING STEEL, PRESENTED BY THE FILMMAKERS, AND ADMISSION TO AN AFTER PARTY WITH PERFORMANCES BY CHRIS SCHOECK AND CHRIS RIDER! plus 5 DVD "screener" copies of the film, a digital HD download of the film upon completion, a pack of 25 Bending Steel stickers, exclusive donor updates and a special thank you on the film's website and facebook page!